Uncertainty, Copyright and Courage — One of the highlights of the Summit was this early morning keynote by songwriter and ASCAP President Paul Williams. Worth reading in its entirety.

In the digital economy, we’ll soon all be working for free – and I refuse — “For what is being eroded is not only actual wages but also the very idea that work must be paid for. Huge profits are being made from these so-called opportunities for our youth. But they are, in fact, the exploitation of insecurity. This is not about being anti-technology. It is about being pro-human.”

When did cover songs become annoying marketing ploys? — Thanks to concerns about the market power of the Æolian Company (remember them?), U.S. law provides a compulsory license for covering songs, permission from the copyright holder is not required. Many performers provide their own unique interpretation of other’s songs, but as Slate reports, there is a vibrant industry of mostly legal knockoff recordings that aim to mimic popular versions of songs as closely as possible in order to free-ride off their success. These copycats clutter streaming services — Slate reports there are over 600 non-Adele versions of Skyfall available on Spotify — and dupe music listeners.

Time for Silicon Valley to grow up and take responsibility for their online advertising business model — Is whitelisting the way to go for brands who don’t want to see their ads show up on scammy, porn-y, pirate-y websites? The Trichordist argues it is. “Blacklist systems too often put the burden on the victims or advocates for the victims while enabling brand advertising and Madison Ave/Silicon Valley profits at the expenses of others. Whitelist systems put the burden on those reaping the benefits: Brands, Madison Ave. Silicon Valley and Publishers. This is the ethical model.”

About

Copyhype provides news and info on current developments relating to copyright law, the media industries, and the digital economy. It cuts through the hype to bring reasoned discussion aimed at both legal and nonlegal audiences.

Terry Hart is currently VP Legal Policy and Copyright Counsel at the Copyright Alliance. Any opinions expressed on this site remain his own and not necessarily those of his present or any past employers.